March 24, 2022 |
Stop scrolling, square eyes: the first Metaverse Fashion Week has landed. From March 24 to March 27 the virtual world, Decentraland, will become the brand-spanking-new fashion capital: all inside your computer screen. From runways to after-parties, 50 physical and digital brands will connect in an array of virtual fashion shenanigans for a fashion week with no guest-list: everyone’s invited.
Linking up with Paco Rabanne and artist Victor Varsarely, luxury department mecca Selfridges set up a virtual store modelled after its Birmingham location’s interior, which was actually inspired by the work of Paco Rabanne (very meta). Selfridges is no stranger to the digital realm, though, with the launch of over-the-counter NFTs at their Oxford Street store earlier this year giving customers the opportunity to blend digital and physical Paco Rabanne pieces – it’s phygital, darling.
Brands including Etro, Elie Saab, Tommy Hilfiger and Superbowl-icon Dundas will make their digital runway debut in the Decentraland’s new luxury fashion district hosted by Vogue Arabia and NFT marketplace UNXD. The fashion district, inspired by Paris’ Avenue Montaigne, will also host up-and-coming designers such as the Karl Lagerfeld prize 2021 winner Kidsuper and digital-native brands like Central Saint Martin alumnus Scarlett Yang.
Transgressing beyond just digital garms, Web3 agency, Cash Labs, will be launching a mixed-media gallery that will feature Botter and a collab between Karl Lagerfeld and virtual goods marketplace The Dematerialised. SHOWStudio and Nick Knight are delivering a URL film festival reflecting on the past and future of fashion film, with Chanel and Lanvin presenting films.
MVFW is not just a foray into new digital aesthetics – even if Decentraland still has some way to go before capturing the experience of an IRL show – with panel discussions from industry insiders including Tommy Hilfiger and Alexandre de Betak, who broke the web – literally – back in 2000 with his Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which crashed the company’s website when it went live.
If the return of jam-packed pubs and clubs has you spending your Friday nights getting the most out of the Netflix price hike, the MVFW after-parties might be the answer to getting your groove on, albeit digitally. Many featuring shoppable drops, with NFT marketplace KnownOrigin showcasing its collection during an afterparty. And who better to close things off than galactic popstar Grimes? Time to log on.
Imagery courtesy of The Dematerialised.
